THE 988 NUMBER OFFERS 24/7 SUPPORT
Decals for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are being added not only to Platte City Police Department vehicles but also to vehicles for the city’s public works department.
Colette Comer, police officer, presented the idea to Platte City Police Chief Jeff Wilson recently after seeing another Missouri department employ the suicide hotline phone number on a social media posting. It is believed Platte City is the first law enforcement agency in Platte County to employ the strategy.
“We are placing the decals on our vehicles to increase awareness of the importance of 988 as a mental health resource,” Comer explained.
The 988 Lifeline provides immediate access to trained crisis counselors for those experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or any mental health crisis.
Individuals can call or text 988 to connect with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“A lot of our calls have some sort of mental health attachment,” said Wilson. who has been police chief in Platte City for a little more than a year. “Hopefully somebody sees this on the back of our car who wasn’t aware of it and makes a phone call they otherwise wouldn’t have made. That’s the goal behind it.”
Promoting the 988 hotline comes at no cost to the city, other than the minimal cost of the decals, the chief said.
“We’ve kind of set off on a campaign in my time here to bring awareness to handling mental health situations, not only to train police officers up but also train people that we’re working with,” Wilson added.
The goal is to make the number highly visible and easy to remember during times of crisis.
“Crisis counselors can help friends and family find resources for their loved one, or talk them through hard conversations they may need to have,” Comer explained.
Comer says she’d like to adjust the coloring on the decals to improve visibility. The dark blue on the heavily tinted back window is not as visible as officials would like it to be, so she mentioned the possibility of a white outline being added in the near future.
